1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an improved building material, and more particularly to a wall and ceiling covering with the appearance of a sprayed on acoustical pattern for use in mobile homes and the like, and a method for its production.
2. Prior Art
Through the years, manufacturers of mobile homes have tried to develop construction methods and materials which would give the mobile home the appearance of an "on site built home", and which would be able to withstand the physical stresses of moving the home from one site to another. For example, manufacturers have tried to duplicate the interior of a mobile home to look like the interior of any other on site built home especially in the areas of the wall and ceiling. Many have been successful in duplicating the appearance of a house except that the walls and ceiling of the mobile home had grooves or molding where the material used to form the walls or ceiling was joined. This detracts from the ability of the mobile home to give the impression that one is in an on site built home.
Many on site built homes have seamless ceilings and walls which have a pattern on them. One such pattern is sprayed on the ceiling with a pebbled appearance resembling plaster and is referred to in the trade as a "sprayed on acoustical pattern". Many attempts to produce this sprayed on acoustical pattern in mobile homes have been attempted without success. When a sprayed on acoustical ceiling of plaster has been applied in a mobile home, the desired seamless appearance is produced, but as soon as the mobile home was moved, the ceiling cracked which necessitated the replacement of the entire ceiling after each move.
Some manufacturers of modular homes (a home usually moved only once on a flatbed truck) have used a liquid plastic film material containing plastic chips to obtain a flexible seamless wall and ceiling covering. Because this system requires very expensive special preparation of the surface over which it is to be applied and considerable skill for its installation, it is not well suited for the mobile home industry. Another disadvantage is that the ceiling produced is not sufficiently resistant to the stresses which are inherent in moving a mobile home from place to place. Thus, cracks and seams would appear after a move which detracts from the appearance of the walls and ceiling.
Another prior art covering consists of a thin plastic film coated on one side with adhesive. The exposed side of the film has an appearance which approximates a shot acoustical ceiling. The covering is supplied in 12 foot wide continuous rolls and which enables a seamless appearance to be achieved. The film, however, lacks any appreciable "self-leveling" capacity and requires extensive preparation of the wall or ceiling prior to its application. All irregularites in the wall or ceiling, e.g., seams, cracks, etc., have to be puttied, taped, and sanded to provide a smooth surface. Any flaw in the covered surface would "telegraph through" the film. For example, each ceiling panel to be covered is required to be perfectly level with the adjacent panel as the film possess no self-leveling characteristics. A film is self-leveling when the surface of the film bonded to the wall or ceiling is able to deform sufficiently to prevent certain surface irregularities in the wall or ceiling from appearing on the exposed surface. Appearance of the flaw seen as an irregularity in the surface of the film is often described as "telegraph through" the film. Another major disadvantage of this material is that it cannot be repaired in a manner that the repair is undetectable.
As will be seen, the present invention is an improved building material and method which overcomes these prior art deficiencies.